Taken by a budding photographer in Madrid, who so kindly shared this with me. (@mediogram)

Hello there!

My name is Maura Fox, and I am the new editor in chief here at the Daily Nexus. I’m happy to have the opportunity to introduce myself to you all.

As I sat down to write this letter, I was struck by how fast my time at UC Santa Barbara has flown by. I joined the Nexus my sophomore year, and I had no idea what I was doing. I was just trying to be a part of something and get involved — a feeling to which many of you may relate.

Now, after the past few years, I like to think I’ve learned a bit about the Nexus, our campus, Isla Vista and, most importantly, our readers. The Nexus thrives off student voices, the very same voices that are oftentimes shushed and silenced.

We are living in uncertain times, and never before in my college career have I seen and felt the deep importance of student voices, stories and ideas. In our four years, we have the opportunity to make great changes in our community and within the University of California system. Every single voice at UCSB is vital to that change, and, as editor in chief, it is my top priority to incorporate your voices into our journalism.

I am aware that journalism is often categorized as a “leftist” career, and I cannot lie: The Nexus staff could always use more diversity. In order to move forward as a publication for all UCSB students, faculty and I.V. residents, we, the Nexus team, must prop open our doors for all voices — liberal, conservative, moderate — and incorporate these perspectives into our writing and reporting.

I also hope to expand our paper’s reach on campus and in I.V. The Nexus office, a place I call home beneath Storke Tower, can oftentimes feel far removed from the daily happenings on the other side of campus, in the residence halls or through the streets of I.V. We do our best to provide reporting from all parts of our community, but I know we can do better.

Your voice is out there, and it is our job to provide coverage of what you are doing, what you stand for and who you are.

The Nexus has existed at UCSB since 1930. That’s a heck of a long time, and something we are proud to boast. It is important, however, that we evolve with our community and I want to ensure that we are a news source that can persist through the era of “fake news” and distrust of the media.

Sometimes I look back through the Nexus archives — massive books and a historical journey, to say the least — and I am in awe of past Nexus reporting and the development of UCSB and I.V. over the years. I want to be the editor in chief of a newspaper that can serve as a complete emblem of our current community for years to come, in all our voices and in all our stories.

Its impossible to write this letter without a huge thank you to Supriya Yelimeli, who has taught me most everything I know about journalism. With her guidance and friendship over the last three years, I am confident in the direction the Nexus is moving, and I am excited to keep our momentum going.

I may be the new editor, but this newspaper is a shared project. Please feel free to reach out anytime to chat about the Nexus, UCSB or just life. You can find me most days hunkered in the Nexus office, probably with a bag of Sour Patch Kids and a large cup of coffee.